The Hawkeyes take aim for their first Final Four since 1993. Here’s a quick look at all of the games remaining and how to watch.
Unlike in the men’s bracket, two No. 1 seeds are still playing in the women’s bracket. And an argument was made that Iowa deserved one, too. Perennial contender UConn saw its streak of 14 straight Final Fours end, but there’s plenty of intrigue and sharpshooters left in the tourney. Here is what to know:
GAMES TO WATCH
No. 2 Iowa (29-6) vs. No. 5 Louisville (22-12), Sunday, 8 p.m. CT (ESPN)
Putting the disappointment of two straight seasons of early exits behind them, the Hawkeyes are on the brink of their second Final Four after a dazzling display of shooting and balance. Their last obstacle? A Cardinals team making its fifth consecutive trip to a regional final. First-team All-American Caitlin Clark had 31 points and always leads the Hawkeyes, but with plenty of scoring help. They shot 54% in their victory over Colorado. The Cardinals have star power too, and she’s a local. Hailey Van Lith grew up about 130 miles away and is the career state scoring leader in Washington. She scored 21 against the Buffs.
No. 3 LSU (31-2) vs. No. 9 Miami, Sunday, 6 p.m. CT (ESPN)
The resurgent Tigers under Kim Mulkey showed they are far more than first-team All-America Angel Reese, and they’ll face a Miami team that apparently finds no valley too deep to escape. Reece fouled out, but Alexis Morris hit four free throws in the last 10 seconds to bring the Tigers to the brink of their first Final Four in 15 years. LaDazDazhia Williams took advantage of the attention paid to Reese with a season-high 24 points for LSU and Reese had 17 points and 12 rebounds. The Hurricanes — Cardiac ’Canes so far in the tournament — have never been to the Elite Eight, but earned their spot even after blowing a 21-point lead to Villanova and falling behind in the final period. But they hung in and Jasmyne Roberts’ three-point play with 38.8 seconds allowed them to hang on. Roberts had 26 points for the ’Canes.
No. 1 South Carolina (35-0) vs No. 2 Maryland (28-6), Monday, 6 p.m. CT (ESPN)
The Terrapins are next in the barrel against the defending champion Gamecocks, and it’s a rematch from the opening week of the season, when South Carolina cruised to an 81-56 victory. The Terps got 18 points apiece from Diamond Miller and Shyanne Sellers and beat Notre Dame 76-59 to reach the Elite Eight for the first time in eight years. They beat a team missing two starters, which won’t be the case against Dawn Staley’s team. South Carolina employed its defense-and-rebounding-first focus in beating UCLA 59-43. The Gamecocks held UCLA to 15 first-half points, got eight points and 14 rebounds from first-team All-American Aliyah Boston, and cruised to their 41st consecutive victory.
No. 1 Virginia Tech (30-4) vs. No. 3 Ohio State (28-7), Monday, 8 p.m. CT (ESPN)
The gritty Buckeyes slew one giant, but an unknown beast awaits in the No. 1 seed Hokies. Ohio State did what 14 previous foes have failed to do — ending the Huskies’ streak of reaching the Final Four for 14 straight years. The Buckeyes did it by forcing 25 turnovers. The Hokies sent home another blueblood women’s program, leading throughout, blowing most of an 18-point lead and beating the Lady Vols 73-64. Guard Georgia Amoore has been unstoppable. She scored a career-best 29 points against Tennessee. The Hokies have won 14 in a row but have never ventured this far in the NCAA Tournament.
TOP TEAMS
The top four seeds in the tournament were given to South Carolina, Indiana, Stanford and Virginia Tech. Stanford was the first to bow out last weekend, Indiana was ousted a day later by Miami.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
The women’s tournament field is filled with stars, including South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston, last season’s AP player of the year. She will have plenty of competition for the honor this year, including sharp-shooting Iowa star Caitlin Clark, LSU’s Angel Reese and more.
The Cavinder twins, Haley and Hanna, gym rats who are wildly popular on social media, made their first tournament after transferring from Fresno State to Miami. The field is also remarkable for the high number of international players, a growing trend in women’s basketball.
SHINING MOMENTS
Charisma Osborne scored a career-high 36 points to help UCLA rally after blowing an 18-point lead against Oklahoma to reach the Sweet 16. Alissa Pili had a career-high 33 points, eight rebounds and a career-high eight assists to lead Utah over Gardner-Webb.
Then there is Reese, who has 76 points and 52 rebounds for LSU through three wins, while fellow All-American Clark has 79 points and 32 assists over three wins for Iowa.
HOW TO WATCH
The title game will be on a national network — ABC — for the first time since 1996. ABC plans to air at least a half-dozen other games, too.
Beside that, every game of the women’s tournament will be available on ESPN’s networks or streaming, with fans encouraged to navigate to the “Watch” tab on ESPN’s sites.
BETTING GUIDE
Who’s going to win the national championship?
Heading into the Sweet 16, the betting favorites (in order): South Carolina, UConn, LSU, Iowa, Maryland and Tennessee, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
With Indiana, Stanford, Tennessee and UConn gone, the Gamecocks are an even bigger favorite to become the first repeat champion in the women’s tournament since UConn won the last of four straight in 2016.
WHAT’S NEXT
Where is the women’s Final Four? In Dallas, where the semifinals are March 31 and the championship game is April 2. As it happens, the men’s Final Four is a four-hour drive down the road in Houston that same weekend.
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